Bottle case



Afig. 1 I, 1936. Q M BUHL 2,050,980

BOTTLE CASE Filed April 14, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet;

I J INVENTOR. Carles M ,BzrZ. v

ATTORNEYS.

Aug. 11, 1936. Q HL v 2,050,9 0

BOTTLE CASE Filed April 14, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TOR. Ciarles,Bzrl;

ATTORNEYS.

i atenteci Aug. i936 warren stares PAT ENT OFF E'CE Application April-14',

8- Claims.

The invention relates to metal cases and it has particular-relation to ametal= case for receiving bottles of beverage or the like.

One object of the invention is to'provid'e-an improved sheet metal case,which is sodesigned that the sidewalls or panels of the case may bemanufactured from sheet metal of very thin gauge, while still obtaininga very rig-id and strong construction that is highly resistant to impactforces which may particularly be directed against edges and corners ofthe construction.

Another object of the invention is to provide a. construction such asmentioned above which is of minimum weight to the end that the cost ofmanufiacture may be reduced to a minimum and the case may bemanipulatedwith less eiiort.

Another object of the invention is to provide a sheet metal casereinforced along the edges and corners thereof, which is substantiallyfree from openings or interstices that would not only detract from theappearance of the case'but alsoundesirabl y permit ingress of water,dirt or the like during its use.

Another objectof the invention is to provide a method of manufacturing asheet metal case which includes the provision of relatively thin gaugesheet. metal and sheet. metal of heavier gauge along the corners andedges, sothat the finished construction will have a minimum weightwhilestill obtaining a rigidity and resistance to impact forces that addsconsiderably" to the; durability of the case during use.

Other objects of the invention will become apparenttrom the followingdescription, the drawings. to which the description relates, and theclaims hereinafter set forth.

For a better understanding of the invention reference may behad to-thedrawings, wherein:

Fig, 1 is a perspective view of a metal case constructed according toone form of the invention, with the lid of the case ina raised position.

Fig- 2 is exploded view' of acorner of the case.

Fig. It is a detail view illustrating one of. the: corner caps embodiedin the case.

Fig- 4 is a fragmentary view of the case as: shown by Fig. 1, with thelid in its closed posi tion.

Fig. 5' isa fragmentary view of the bottle sup- 50 porting plate in thecase.v

Fig. 6 is a. cross-sectional view on a larger scale, ta-kensubstantially along, the line 5-6 of Fig. 4..

Fig. 7' is a cross-sectional view on a larger'scale, taken substantiallyalong the line '!T' of Fig. 4'.

Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view on a larger scale,

1933, Serial No. 6662078 taken substantially along the line 8-8 of Fig.1'.

Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view on a larger scale, taken substantiallyalong the line 9-9 of Fig. 4, and also illustrating in broken lineshow'one' case may be stacked upon another".

Referring to Fig. l, the side and end panels, or wallsof the metal caseshown, are indicated at I0 and M respectively, and the lid is indicatedat i2. In constructing a case of this character, it is desirable that itbe as light as possible so 10 as to reduce manufacturing costs, toenable easier manipulation of the case and also reduce costs oftransportation, and accordingly, it is. advantageous to construct the.panels and lid of' thin gauge sheet metal. Such panels and lid then maybe reinforced by forming pressed-out ribs i3. therein and it will benoted that these ribs are so arranged and directed that the metal isreinforced in practically every portion. The side panels it particularlyhave a diamond-shaped rib and this is desirable especially in the frontpanel. so as to leave an area it of plane contour upon which a label maybe pasted or other indicia impressed in the metal.

Now referring to Figs; 6 and '7 particularly, each of the panels I0 andM at its upper and lower edges has an outwardly bent reinforcing flangeIt. Each of these edges then is reinforced by means of a tubular rail llhaving a triangularly tubular portion for receiving the edge of thepanel and flange l6, and leg portions 5'8 and 19 that substantiallycontact with opposite surfaces of the panel. It will be appreciated thata rail may be assembled on each edge of the panels by longitudinallytelescoping it over the edge portion and flange l6 until it is in itslongitudinally desired position. When the parts are so assembled, theportions l8 and i9 may be secured by welds to the panel atlongitudinally spaced points by a pinch or spot welding process. Thetubular rails are constructed of sheet metal which is. heavier in gaugethan that of the sheet metal forming the panels and when the rails areso-assembled with the panel edges, the rigidity of the latter is greatlyincreased and they become highly resistant to deformation by impactforces occurring during manipulationand use of the case. It- Will beappreciated in this connection that in the ordinary metal case, it isusually the edges of the case that become bent during use and that it ismuch more important if the case is' to be durable and efficient in use,that the edges be rigid and maintain their shape and the shape of thecase. It of course, apparent that the flanges l5 on the panels also lendconsiderable rigidity to the edges.

Now referring to Fig. 2, it will be noted that the flange I6 at eachedge of the panels terminates at opposite ends, inwardly of the ends ofthe rail I! and that the ends of the rail terminate at some distanceinwardly of the ends of the panel. The end portions of the side panelsl9 projecting beyond the ends of the rails are arouately bent asindicated at 2B and the upper, outer corners of the arcuate portions arenotched as indicated 'at 2|. Each end portion of the end panels ll,beyond the ends of the rails, remains in the plane of the panel andterminates in a right angular flange 22, thus defining a sharp corner.At the upper and lower ends of such corners on the end panels H, themetal is flared outwardly as indicated at 23 and this flared portion isformed into arcuate shape relative to the side walls of the corner. Suchflared portion terminates in inwardly directed lips 26 which areseparated by a'notch so as to facilitate bending of the portionsinwardly from the curved edge of the flared portions. Opposite edges ofthe flared portion and lips are notched as indicated at 2?. After theparts are so formed on the end panels, an angle member 28 of heaviergauge metal is mounted within each corner for'reinforcement purposes,and is spot or pinch welded to the side walls of the corner atvertically spaced points.

For reinforcing the upper and lower ends of each corner of the endpanels, H and hence for reinforcing the corner portions of the case asfinally constructed, an arcuate metal cap' 29 of heavier gauge sheetmetal is provided which has an upper face portion 30 adapted to lap overthe lips 24 and an arcuate, tapered flange portion 3| which is adaptedto substantially contact with the outer side of the flared flange 23.Each cap also has an angular and depending flange 32 adapted to engagethe sides of the corner below the flared flange 23. Each of the caps29also has a lip 35 at each side which is. adapted to project under theupper horizontal portion of the rail I! on the panels and it will berecalled that the flange I 6 terminates inwardly of the rail, so as toprovide a space for this purpose. Each cap also has an obliquelyarranged lip 35 at each side and these lips are adapted to project intothe tubular portions of the rails along the obliquely arranged sidesthereof. One of the caps then is associated with each corner portion ofeach end panel H, and in mounting the caps, the lips 35 and 36 at oneside are disposed respectively under the upper face of rails i1 andprojecting within the tubular portion of the rails along the taperedwalls thereof. Then the flange portions 32 are pinch or spot welded tothe sides of the corner portions of the panels and the face portions 29of the caps are similarly welded to the lips 24. It may be noted in thisconnection that the flaring of the portions 27 of the panel cornersprovides a recess to facilitate the welding operation.

With each of the side panels l0 provided with the rails ii and curvedend portions 20, and with each end panel I l provided with the rails 11,caps 1 29, and reinforcing member 28, the panels are ready for assembly.This is accomplished by moving the curved ends 28 of the side panels l0into the corners of the end panels so as to dispose the curved ends 20transversely and insubstantially tangential relation to the angle partstion, the other lips 35 on the corner caps 29 are disposed under theupper face part of the rails 11, and the lips 36, are disposed withinthe tubular part of the rails along the tapered wall thereof. It will beappreciated that during this assembly, the notches 2| will avoidinterference between the curved ends 20 of the side panels, and the ends.of the rails on the end panels. Similarly the notches 2! willaccommodate the ends of the rails ll on the side panels, while allowingsufl'icient space for the lips 35 and 36 to project into the rails.After such assembling operation, the curved end portions 20 of the sidepanels are joined by pinch or spot welding to the angular cornerportions at the ends of the end panels at the points of tangentialcontact.

' The resulting construction is free from undesirable interstices at thecorners and this factor will prevent ingress of water, dirt or the likeinto the hollow corner portions as well as avoid an undesirableappearance. Moreover, the faces 30 of the corner caps constitutecontinuations of the horizontal rail faces, thus providing a smooth,relatively wide face along both the bottom and top edges of the case.Moreover, the edges and corners are very rigid and reinforced by therails, caps and members 28, even though thin gauge metal is used in thepanel bodies.

The finished case, as best shown by Fig. 9, has a central partition 40provided with a marginal flange 4! which may be spot or pinch welded tothe panels. As shownby Fig. 8, the flange is eliminated at the'cornersof the partition and such corner portions are rounded similarly to theportions 20 on the side panels l0, butpreferably and asshown, suchcurved corner par--v tions of the partition, are spaced from the arcuateportions 20 ofth-e panels not only to compensate for manufacturingtolerances but to provide an aperture through which water or the likemay flow tothe bottom of the case. tion is provided with twenty-fouropenings 42 The partifor receiving bottles, and around each opening,

a flange 43 is turned downwardlyfor reinforcement purposes and also toprovide a wider side I support for the bottles. As best shown by Fig..1,

circumferentially spaced lips 44 project downwardly from the lower edgeof the flangev 43,.and

such lips constitute further guides for the bottles 1 and at the sametime avoid turning down a wide annular flange that might result insplitting of the metal. Between the openings 42 and as indicatedparticularly in Fig. 8 at 45, the partition is formed with upwardlydirected pressed-out portions of diamond shape which reinforce thepartition between the bottle openings.

The bottom of the container is indicated a n and similarly to thepartition 40 has rounded corner edges spaced sufficiently from thecurved portion 20 to permit water, bottle caps and other debris toescape. The bottom also has a flange 48 spot or pinch welded to theinner sides of the rails l1, and such flange is eliminated around thecorners in substantially the same manner as the flange 4| on thepartition 40. As best shown 1 by Fig. 5, the bottom wall 41 has openings49 coinciding with the openings 42 in the partition,

asindicated at 5| to provide a contacting portion for the usuallyconcaved bottom surface of ing imparted forcefully to the bottle.

,the recessed portions 58 for the bottles, the metal the bottle. It maybe noted in this connection that the crowned portion i acts as a sort ofa resilient support for the bottom of the bottle and normally willcontact therewith before the rim of the bottle engages the base portionof recess 50. Thus if the case is dropped on a floor, the resilientcrown 5| will prevent impact forces be- Between is upwardly pressed intodiamond shape as indicated at 52 and this not only reinforces the bottomwall but defines the outer wall for the bottle recess. It will beappreciated that the crown portion 5| as well as the outer walls of therecessed portion 58 serve as means for preventing sidewise movement ofthe bottle so that the botas shown by Fig. 3 may have handle openings asindicated at 54 and these may be formed by stamping out a sector ofmetal indicated at 55 to form the opening and subsequently bending thismetal upwardly into arcuate shape as indi- "cated at 55 to provide asmooth grip. Around the remaining edges of the opening, the metal may beturned inwardly and flanged over for a short distance to avoid sharpedges.

The lid panel l2, at its margin, has a downwardly turned flange 5!extending entirely around the lid. This flange, except at the corners ofthe lid, terminates in an inwardly directed portion 58 that is disposedin a substantially horizontal plane when the lid is in closed positionand which is adapted to rest on the rails H and corner caps 29. Inwardlyof this portion 58, the metal is angled toward the bottom surface of thelid as indicated at 59 and terminates in a plane portion 6!] that may bespot or pinch welded to the under surface of the lid. At the corners andas best shown by Fig. 2, bracket elements 63 may be disposed and weldedto the flange 51 and, if desired, also to the lid body. These anglebrackets 53 reinforce the lid at the corners and also improve itsappearance particularly in that they more or less complete theconstruction around the corners of the lid.

As best shown in Fig. 7, any suitable type of hinge as indicated at 65may have its wings welded to the rail on the back of the rear panel I!)and also to the flange 5'5 around the lid. For latching the lid in itsclosed position and as shown by Fig. 6, a spring latching member 61 isprovided which may be riveted as indicated at 58 to the front panel I!)and to the bottom legs of the rail IT. This spring latch terminates inan arcuated portion 69 at its upper end which is adapted to pass througha slot '18 formed in the lid. It will be appreciated that in moving thelid to its closed position, the arcuate portion 69 of the latch elementwill facilitate its entry into the opening 10 and that once the lid isin closed position, the arcuate portion will spring into overlappingengagement with the lid at the front side of the opening thereby holdingthe lid in closed position. It may be pointed out here, and as clearlyshown by Fig. 4, that the lid also has front reinforcing ribs ll whichextend closely to the latch 61 and which prevent injury to the latchwhen the lid is in closed position inthat if another case is moved overthe lid, the ribs prevent the upper case from engaging the latch.Ribssuoh as indicated at ll may also be formed along the other edges ofthe lid and such ribs and the ribs iii are of the same height, thusinsuring distribution of weight over the surface of the lid, if anothercase, and particularly a wooden case havinga flat bottom, is supportedon the lid. It may be noted in this connection and as shown by Fig. 9,that theribs M are so located, that they will fit within the recessedbottom of an upper metal case and thus hold the cases in prop erlystacked position, although it will be appreciated that the arcuate shapeof the ribs will readily facilitate moving one case sideways withoutmuch effort.

Under. certain circumstances it may be necessary to seal the case, andfor accommodating this result, the lid may be provided with openings 12in its front margin and the rail H and flange IS on the front panel mayhave. similar openings 13. An ordinary sealing wire may be insertedthrough these. openings and the lid may be secured in its closedposition by means of the seal.

It will be appreciated that the panels l0 and it may be constructed ofvery thin gauge sheet metal owing to the provision of the reinforcingrail along the edges of the panels and the reinforcements at thecorners. Such reinforcements and rail may be constructed of heaviergauge metal without appreciably increasing the weight of the case whileat the same time greatly increasing the rigidity and resistance of thecase to bending when it is handled during use. Moreover, it will beappreciated that any interstices are practically eliminated so as toavoid collection of dirt and water. Moreover, it will be appreciatedthat the inside of the case has rounded corners and this facilitatescleaning the case as well as adds to the appearance thereof. Again itwill be appreciated that a firm but resilient support for the bottles isprovided and that when the bottles are in the case they are efficientlyprevented from tilting and sidewise movement.

Although only one form of the invention has been described andillustrated in detail, it will be apparent to those skilled in the artthat various modifications may be made without departing from the scopeof the appended claims.

What I claim is:

l. A metal case including a sheet metal wall, a triangular tubular metalrail enclosing an edge of said wall and joined to said wall, and acorner cap secured to said rail, said cap and said rail having facesperpendicular to said wall and in substantially the same plane.

2. A metal case including a sheet metal wall, a triangular metal railenclosing an edge of said wall, said rail having a side extending alongsaid wall, a side extending outwardly from said wall, and a sideextending angularly toward said wall, and means connecting said rail tosaid wall to provide a rigid assembly.

3. A metal case including sheet metal panels arranged in rectangularrelation and having a flange projecting from an edge, one of said panelshaving a corner portion at an end and another of said panels having aportion spaced from and extending transversely of said corner and incontact with the side walls of said corner portion, a tubular sheetmetal rail resting on andenclosing each of said flanges and. havingsides disposed on either side of the associated lit).

panel, means for joining the sides of each of said rails to itsassociated panel, and means joining said panels at said points ofcontact and including a cap secured to said panel for reinforcing saidpanels.

4. A metal case including sheet metal panels arranged in rectangularrelation and having a flange projecting from an edge, one of said panelshaving a corner portion at an end and another of said panels having aportion spaced from and extending transversely of said corner and incontact with the side walls of said corner portion, a tubular sheetmetal rail resting on and enclosing each of said flanges and havingsides disposed on either side of the associated panel, means for joiningeach of said rails to its associated panel, means for joining saidpanels at said points of contact, and means including a cap having aportion projecting within said rails for reinforcing said panels.

5. A metal case including a sheet metal wall having a flange, atriangular tubular rail adapted to be telescoped longitudinally oversaid flange during assembly, and means securing said rail to said wall.

6. A metal case including a sheet metal wall having a flange at an edge,a triangular rail having a side extending along said wall, a sideextending outwardly from said wall and resting on said flange, and aside extending angularly toward said wall, and means securing said railto said wall to provide a rigid assembly.

7. A metal case including a sheet metal panel having a flange projectingfrom an edge, atriangular tubular rail enclosing. said edge and restingon said flange, means connecting said rail to said panel, a corner cap,and means for securing said corner cap to said panel including aplurality of triangularly disposed lips extending from said cap andprojecting within said rail between said rail and a portion of saidpanel.

8. A metal case including sheet metal panels arranged in rectangularrelation and having a flange projecting from an edge, one of said panelshaving a corner portion at an end and another of said panels having aportion spaced from and extending transversely of said corner, and incontact with the side walls of said corner portion, a, triangular sheetmetal rail resting on and enclosing each of said flanges and havingsides disposed on either side of the associated panel, means for joiningeach of said rails to its associated panels, means for joining saidpanel at said points of contact, a corner cap, and means for securingsaid cap to said panels including a plurality of triangularly disposedlips extending from said cap and projecting within each of said railsbetween said rails and the associated panels.

CHARLES M. BUHL.

